Smart Crossings
2017
Direct Line
Saatchi & Saatchi
Head of Design and Motion
As a follow-up for Fleetlights, Smart Crossing is Direct Lines's second experiment to prevent accidents before they happen. This time, we wanted to tackle an urban problem: pedestrian crossings.
Since the design of the pedestrian crossing in 1934, our roads have evolved, and so have the dangers. With a quarter of road accidents happening at crossings, we've developed a fully responsive LED road that can track elements and react to scenarios in just 0.3 seconds.
The prototype was tested and presented to tech companies and publications such as Wired, Fast Company, BBC, and The Times. You can watch the entire case study below.
The design task
The design challenge on this project was huge - we just needed to re-design a pedestrian crossing that could react to different situations. Easy.
In terms of look and feel, we wanted the designs to feel modern and somewhat futuristic but still simple so people could understand them straight away. The responsive surface added a new dimension to the design process, allowing us to explore static and animated elements and test and experiment with shapes, colour transitions, and movements.
To define the scenarios, we engaged in in-depth research groups with relevant partnering agencies and conducted workshops with our clients. This collaborative effort was instrumental in gathering relevant data and insights that ultimately drove our exploration.
Baseline Crossing
Baseline crossing is the 'normal/active' state of this road. Pedestrians have the power to activate this system by standing in the designated circles, much like pressing a button to cross. This control ensures that traffic flow is only interrupted when necessary.
Once activated, count-down bars provide clear information on the crossing's duration, empowering both pedestrians and drivers. In the case of multiple pedestrians crossing, the system extends the crossing, ensuring everyone can cross safely.
*Tracker added to explain how the scenario works
Emergency Scenarios
With the surface being tracked by multiple cameras and a 0.3 response time, we worked on the 3 emergency scenarios that were identified during research: Defector, Emergency and High Sided Vehicle (HSV)
Defector
In our head-down culture, we wanted to address pedestrians who walk mindlessly off course into potential danger. If a pedestrian enters the road accidentally, a highlighted area will appear, alerting drivers and pedestrians.
Emergency
If a person walks beyond the 30-centimetre threshold of the defector scene, the road adapts, halting all traffic, and chevrons guide the pedestrian to safety.
High Sided Vehicle
HSV can hide dangers on narrow roads, such as cyclists being blinded by them and not seeing the crossing. Red chevrons appear on the cycle lane to highlight the potential risk to the cyclist, alerting the cyclist and preventing a collision.
*Tracker added to explain how the scenario works
*Tracker added to explain how the scenario works
*Tracker added to explain how the scenario works
The output
This experiment plans to demonstrate how technology can prevent problems before they arise. As Fleetlights, this prototype is open source, encouraging developers and councils to expand on this concept. The project entailed 3 feature edits to showcase the technology and several testing days to ensure its functionality.
me@brunodilucca.com
2001 — 2024
